Introduction
I'm Caroline, and I have scoliosis. What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curve in the spine. It affects about 3% of the population or about 6-9 million people in the US. However, girls with scoliosis often face negative psychological effects such as having poor body image, feeling alone or embarrassed, avoiding social situations, and having no one to talk to. For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, I wrote a novella called I'm Bent Not Broken. This book educates the reader about what scoliosis is, possible treatments, and my experiences and advice. I recommend reading it if you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with scoliosis and is feeling confused, nervous, or scared. You can read it on Amazon for free by searching "I'm Bent Not Broken by Caroline Bielen" or under "The Book" tab. I hope you enjoy!
"To be straight and tall, first you must be bent and small." - Anonymous
Book Summary
I'm Bent Not Broken is a novella that tells the story of Charlotte, a 6th grader who has recently been diagnosed with scoliosis. Charlotte, not even knowing what scoliosis is, has to now wear a back brace for 23 hours a day. She is worried about wearing her brace to school and sleepovers where her friends might judge her for it. She feels alone because nobody else she knows has scoliosis. As she manages the stress of middle school, she learns that her scoliosis has progressed so much that she now needs spinal fusion. Despite her fear of the surgery, she discovers who her true friends are and how her family will always be by her side. This book is recommended to readers who have recently been diagnosed with scoliosis so that they can learn more about scoliosis in general, understand what it is like to live with scoliosis, and guide them through their scoliosis journey.
Logo Inspiration
The scoliosis tree which you can see at the top of the website and at the bottom left corner is the logo of I'm Bent Not Broken. As you can see, the trunk of the tree is curved, just like spines with scoliosis. The pole that the tree is tied to is meant to keep the tree straight and prevent it from curving more. The pole represents spinal fusion, a surgery that uses two titanium rods to straighten the spine as well. The tree reveals that scoliosis can sometimes bend us, but it can't break us. The tree also proves that we can still grow and be strong despite scoliosis, just like how the tree grows leaves and gets taller.